


Just a... Something

by dragannahEireann



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Age gap relationship, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First ml fic, Gabrinette - Freeform, I Don't Know Where This Is Going, I'm Sorry, You Have Been Warned, but also things will develop, captain hardrock spoilers, despite sounding otherwise, even though nothing happens then, eventually, fake dating au, gabrinette will not happen until marinette is a consenting adult, gorizilla spoilers, idk - Freeform, it sounds adrienette but my aim is to make it gabrinette, just not necessarily between the characters you're hoping for, ladybug season 2 spoilers, lukanette may or may not be a thing in this, miraculous spoilers, so be kind, so there's a lot, tags characters and relationships will be added along the way, that being said this will not be smutty, the first chapter can probably be read as a one-shot if you're really desperate, there will be references to all that adult rated stuff but like nothing explicit, they're still teenagers, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-04-21 11:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14283516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragannahEireann/pseuds/dragannahEireann
Summary: Following the events of Gorizilla and Captain Hardrock, Gabriel discovers that Ladybug is none other than Adrien "she's just a friend" Agreste's friend--Marinette Dupain-Cheng.  Determined to capture the Ladybug miraculous once and for all, he manipulates Adrien into doing his bidding under the guise of loosening the reins.After all, it's worth it if it means Papillon can finally lure Ladybug into his net.





	1. The Plan

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> This is my first ML fic! I'm not sure where it's going, but I hope you guys like it.
> 
> This will ultimately be Gabrinette, but there will probably be a LOT of Adrienette before we get there, just so you're forewarned.
> 
> ~Annika

     They had been enemies for years, or so he had thought…  Gabriel Agreste had seen Ladybug transform after the latest akuma attack, and quite frankly, he was _alarmed_. 

     Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a friend of his _son’s_.  Granted, he knew that he was battling teenagers—from Ladybug and Chat Noir’s flirtations to their lanky (albeit fit) physical forms, there was no doubt that these two superheroes were not fully-fledged adults.  And he wasn’t so alarmed at discovering Ladybug’s identity so much as he was alarmed at the _implications_ of Ladybug’s identity.

     The Dupain-Cheng girl was _not_ a good influence on his son.  Not only did she _steal_ his Miraculous book, but she also _helped_ him during his latest “freedom” escapade and managed to cause a minor scandal in the process.  What kind of girl allows herself to be seen in public in her _pajamas_ of all things?  Nobody worthy of his son, at least.

     He had to admit, he was impressed by her work—speaking professionally, of course.  She showed talent, and when Adrien excitedly showed Gabriel his autographed CD cover—not by Jagged Stone, but by the Dupain-Cheng girl herself—he found himself surprised at her versatile creative abilities.

     But none of that mattered, because knowing who Ladybug was meant only one thing: Chat Noir was his son.

     He gathered from his readings in the Miraculous book that active miraculous holders always gravitate towards each other in their civilian lives.  It was an unintentional side effect, and apparently the magic sometimes altered your decisions and desires (in a minor manner, of course) to ensure that they would be in close proximity, but it was a side effect, nonetheless.  It also meant that the miraculous holders could sense the general location of their colleagues.  (Thankfully, Ladybug and Chat Noir didn’t have knowledge of this little detail.)

     But this worked out the best for Gabriel.  What good would it do to send out an akuma if Ladybug and Chat Noir were on the other side of Paris?  Or out of the country, for that matter?  That would just be counterproductive and a waste of time.  The ability to sense the others made his life easier.

     However, once he had come to the conclusion that Adrien was _not_ Chat Noir, he had turned his attention to other junior models working for the Gabriel brand.  It was the only logical conclusion, for no other teenagers came into even semi-regular contact with Gabriel otherwise. 

     He had tried to discover which of his models attended Collège Françoise Dupont, for he could sense that that was Ladybug and Chat Noir’s general location, but thus far, he had had no luck even getting the names of the schools his models attended.  _Damn_ that Ladybug’s good luck. 

     Except now he knew why he was always coming up short: he wasn’t looking for other models.  He was looking for a young, aspiring fashion designer and her cat.  And since he _knew_ Adrien’s circle of friends (well, knew who they consisted of, at least), he knew of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and thus Gabriel knew that the only person that connected this young teenage girl to himself was his son.  His son was Chat Noir.

     So… what now?  He couldn’t very well continue sending out akuma.  He couldn’t very well keep putting his son in harm’s way, but he also couldn’t give up the fight. 

     He decided one night shortly after discovering Ladybug’s identity that he had to bring the battle to the home front.  Not only did he also have to find a way to convince Adrien to trust him to bring his Emilie back (which was going to be a feat in and of itself—Adrien was already suspicious), but he had to do something… something disgusting to him as a villain, and something repulsive to him as a man.

     He had to get close to the teenaged Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

\-------

     It was easier said than done.  How does a middle-aged man become close to a teenager without looking like a pedophile?  Not to mention that the last time he interacted with her as their civilian selves, he had chastised her severely.

     But… but he had one ace up his sleeve, he thought.  Yes, this girl was still Adrien’s friend, _and_ he could use the not-yet-resolved tabloid scandal between them as a starting point in conversation.  Yes… That would be perfect.

\-------

     The _concept_ was there—the _execution_ was a little elusive. 

     Bringing up this girl to Adrien had been… awkward, to say the least.  Three weeks after he and Adrien had watched Emilie’s movie and two weeks after seeing Ladybug transform, Gabriel chose to attend dinner with Adrien at their mansion. 

     Gabriel stood outside the door of their dining room and observed Adrien sitting at one of the corner seats of the table.  His posture was _horrid_.  He slouched.  His head was propped up by his fist.  His _elbows_ were on the table.  He—.  He… was picking at his soup, moving the spoon across the bowl without even tasting it.  His eyes were half-lidded, and every few moments he sighed.

     Well, _that_ wouldn’t do, now would it?

     “Adrien, is this how you eat your dinner normally?  Slouched like a caved-in tent?” he asked his son curtly.

     Adrien’s head snapped up, his clouded-over eyes now shining brightly. “ _Father_ ,” he said reverently.  For a moment, the light in Adrien’s eyes dimmed, and he continued.  “I—I thought you’d be eating your dinner at the office?  I asked Nathalie earlier, and she said—”.

     “Never mind what she said.”  Gabriel cut Adrien off.  “I need to talk with you about his _girlfriend_ business about which the tabloids haven’t forgotten yet, and this was the most convenient time to do so.”

     Gabriel didn’t know what possessed him to bring it up so harshly, but he supposed that it was for the best to just cut to the chase.  He commanded one of the maids to bring out another bowl for himself, and sat to the right of Adrien along the adjoining side of the table.  It was best if he could look him in the eye during this, after all.

     Adrien sat still in his seat, his posture suddenly perfect.  Gabriel sat in that uncomfortable silence as well until his soup was delivered to him and took the first spoonful before glaring at his son for an explanation.

     Adrien picked up his spoon before saying, “Father, I told you before: she’s just a friend.”

     “Yes, Adrien.  A friend whom the press thinks is your girlfriend.”  Another spoonful.

     “I can’t help if the press doesn’t understand!”  A clenched spoon in a fist.

     “But you _can_ control how the press sees you two _now_.”

     Adrien’s hand slacked.  “Wh-what?” he asked.  His eyes were wide and unblinking, and if Gabriel hadn’t known his son to be a cat, he would have very much thought he held an owl miraculous, if such a one ever existed.

     “You heard me” was his only reply.

     “But—but the press _doesn’t_ see us together.”

     “Nonsense, Adrien.  You attend the same school.  She _is_ , as you eloquently and passionately stated, ‘a friend.’”  He pretended not to see Adrien’s ears turn slightly red at that.  “Out of those… _normal_ people you constantly mention, her name comes up the most.”  He also pretended not to see Adrien’s cheeks turn red then either.  “Even if you don’t intend to, you _will_ be seen with her in public again.” 

     Gabriel was suddenly reminded of a picture taken of the two of them at the Bourgeois girl’s party—a picture he had paid a pretty penny to be permanently deleted.  He had kept a copy of it on his own server, of course.  At the time, he had been surprised at his own sentimentality, but he was glad he had had the foresight to preserve it. 

     He snapped his fingers and told the responding maid to fetch him his tablet from his office.  Adrien was losing the blush from his face, although his shoulders were becoming tense in the blush’s stead.  When the maid returned, Gabriel swiftly unlocked the tablet and pulled up the incriminating image of the two of them. 

     He hid a scowl when he saw the small purse at the Dupain-Cheng girl’s side.  A very small, kwami-sized purse.

     If Adrien noticed anything was amiss, he did not say anything, probably thinking Gabriel’s frustration was about his interactions with the girl.  Which, in a roundabout way, was actually the truth, come to think of it.

     Gabriel cleared away the emotions from his face and showed Adrien the picture.  For a moment, Adrien didn’t do anything, and just stared blankly at it.  Then, almost reverently, he gently took the tablet from Gabriel’s hands.  Gabriel blinked as he allowed his son to hold it. 

     After his initial surprise to his son’s reaction diminished, Gabriel focused back in the moment, only to see Adrien practically caressing the screen, and a warmth that reminded him too much of how he himself looked at Emilie filled his son’s eyes. 

     This had suddenly become either _much_ easier or _much_ more difficult.

     Gabriel cleared his throat, and Adrien startled in his seat.  His eyes no longer glazed over, he took one more look at the picture before returning it to Gabriel. 

     “You see what I mean, then.”  Gabriel said while he locked the screen.  It was actually an endearing picture of them, but the endearing can often be misinterpreted as a mask for much darker activities.  Hence, the blood money paid to keep it from being published.

     “I… I do,” Adrien finally admitted, his shoulders slumped in defeat.  His elbows were back up on the table, no doubt a result of those people he called _friends_ , but Gabriel didn’t see the need to correct him in that moment.  There were more _pressing_ matters, after all.

     “So you understand, then?”  He had hoped that he made himself clear on what his son was to do—Gabriel couldn’t think about what might _actually_ result between the two heroes if he were to proceed with this plan, but it was the only plan he had where he could see Ladybug out of her transformation on a regular basis.

     “Father, I’m keeping up my grades.  My friends _aren’t_ a distraction!  And—and if it’ll help, I won’t go to as many functions with them!  Just _please_ don’t pull me out of school!”  Adrien pleaded, again unblinking with what Gabriel now recognized as kitten eyes. 

     He had apparently _not_ made himself clear.

     Gabriel merely sighed at his son’s obliviousness before realizing that he was being a hypocrite.  Pushing up his glasses on his nose, he turned to his son before continuing.  “No, Adrien.  I’m not taking you out of school.  I—”.

     “Thank you, Father!” Adrien gasped.  He had tears in his eyes, and— God, when did his son become so emotional? 

     “You need to _listen_ , Adrien.”  He had meant it to come out forcefully, but all Gabriel heard was a tone of resignation in his voice.  He squinted.  When had _he_ become so complacent?

     Adrien nodded hurriedly.  He sat on the edge of his seat and tapped his foot repetitively.  His smile was… well, _huge_.  The soup, now cold, remained untouched in his bowl.  He still clenched the spoon in his hand, and Gabriel figured that at this point, it had somehow become an anchor for his son through this… _ordeal_.  Gabriel simply sighed once again.

     “Adrien, the press thinks you two are a couple.  That image was taken by somebody _within_ the Bourgeois’ hotel.  People _already_ see you two as a couple.”  He paused and found himself struggling to hide a smile as Adrien blushed gently, but he didn’t say anything.  Gabriel took that as his cue to drop his request.  “You need to _keep_ it that way.”

     “What?  Father, why?” he asked.  Adrien was no longer blushing, begging, or whining.  He was just confused.

     “You were seen with her in public _in her pajamas_ , Adrien.”  He turned red again at that and gave a very small nod, not moving from his seat.  “People are going to think that you and her were…”  Gabriel found _himself_ blushing, and quickly realized that he needed to have a _different_ talk with his son.  Soon.  “Well, they’re going to think that you and she were…”

     “But we’re _not_ … we’re not…”  Apparently, Adrien was also struggling to find the right words.  “We’re _not_ … _intimate_ , Father.”

     Gabriel let out a deep breath.  “Well, maybe we should have a ta—”

     “Oh, God, Father, please no.”  Adrien pleaded.  “I know… I know about…”  He trailed off again.  “I _know_ ,” he finally settled on. 

     Gabriel sighed in relief.  _That_ was a dodged bullet if he ever experienced one.  “Well, then you understand why you being out with her in that attire was so… incriminating,” he told his son.

     It was Adrien’s turn to sigh.  “I know.”

     “ _Now_ do you understand what I want of you?”

     “I’m—I’m afraid not, Father.  I see your other points.  I really do, but… But she _is_ just a friend.”

     “But do you want more?”  He found himself asking Adrien the worst question he could have asked.  Gabriel knew that Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug, but asking if Adrien was falling in love with Marinette?  That was just _begging_ for trouble.

     Thankfully, even though Adrien’s eyes lit up, they almost seemed disappointed, too.  If he couldn’t admit his feelings for this side of her yet, it was just as well.  If anything were to develop between them, it would only happen more quickly if Gabriel’s plan worked, anyhow.  But at least for the moment, Adrien told himself that he only cared about Dupain-Cheng platonically.  That was good enough for Gabriel.

     “I—she’s just a friend, Father.”

     Gabriel only hummed in response.  “Well, you need to keep up the pretense that she’s _not_ ‘just a friend.’  At least for the press.”

     “But _why_?  That’s not fair!  That’s not fair to Marinette!”

     “I don’t _care_ if it’s not fair, Adrien.”  Gabriel suddenly found himself yelling, and even though he had finished his soup long ago, nobody had come to retrieve the dish.  _Probably frightened by his presence_ , he thought bitterly.  “After that immature _stunt_ you pulled with her, everybody and their mother thinks that you two are in a relationship!”  He lowered his voice, trying to at least speak with the façade of sensitivity.  He _did_  need Adrien to comply with his wishes if he wanted his plan to work.  “It’s better if you make it… _official_ , shall we say, instead of pulling more escapades with her at inopportune moments.”

     “What are you saying, Father?”

     “Marinette Dupain-Cheng is _somehow_ in the public eye.  She might not be high on my list of romantic partners I would choose for you—”

     “Now, wait a minute, Father—”

     “—but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t _look_ good as one.  With the exception of the… the _fountain_ incident, she’s free of scandal.  She’s an aspiring fashion student, and she’s already proven herself to be capable of excelling in the industry without anyone’s help.  The _album_  cover speaks for itself.  She’s the ideal match.”

     “But, Father, I lo—” Adrien started.

     “You _what_?!” Gabriel snapped.  _Love?_   Whom, _exactly_ , did his son _love_?  His vision started going red at the thought of—  Oh. 

     Red.  _That’s_ who.

     If only Adrien knew that his father was actually setting him up with his precious _Ladybug_.

     Gabriel softened his gaze at his son upon realizing the awkward situation he put him in.  “I’m not _actually_ asking you to date her.  And—and we’re not going to make some… _announcement_.  But… but let yourself be seen with her.  You do that anyways.  And… and if the press _asks_ … then—and _only_ then—do you say anything.  Even then, Adrien, only in an interview.”  He paused, deciding how to lighten the moment.  “ _Damn_ them if they bug you on the street.”

     Gabriel had to bite his cheek from laughing at his own pun.

     Adrien, meanwhile, just hung his head low, the hint of a smile on his lips (probably laughing at his _own_ interpretation of the pun, which… was actually... the _same_ interpretation), despite the resignation in his shoulders.  He looked up at Gabriel with disappointment in his eyes.  Gabriel realized how much he _hated_ that look. 

     Gabriel took a breath, preparing his speech.  It had all been for this moment, after all.  “You… you like spending time with her anyways.  Her and your other friends.  If—if you do this for me, I’ll—”.  Gabriel _had_ to make it look like this wasn’t the plan all along, although he found that he actually _wanted_ to make his son happy right then.  “If you do this, you can have them over.”

     Adrien’s eyes lit up and he sat up straight in his seat.  “Father…” he said.  Gabriel could see the tears in his eyes again.

     “Not your entire class.  _Just_ the Dupain-Cheng girl and your… your friend who blows the—the _bubbles_.”  That kid _really_ put a sour taste in his mouth, but if he wanted to pull this off, he needed to look like he cared—not just about the Dupain-Cheng girl, but about _all_ of Adrien’s friends. 

     Realization dawned upon Gabriel.  If Ladybug was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and Ladybug chose who the newest miraculous holder was, then… then Rena Rouge was somebody close to the Dupain-Cheng girl.  And wasn’t she featured in the Ladyblogger’s videos a lot?  Rena Rouge hadn’t been spotted or sensed since the Sapotis failure, but that didn’t mean that she still didn’t have the fox miraculous dormant on her person…

     “And your blogger friend,” Gabriel added hastily, trying to both hide his _second_ pun of the day and make it look to Adrien as though he was thinking this through.  “They’re the ones you find yourself… _closest_ to, correct?”  Adrien nodded with a bright smile on his face.  Gabriel continued.  “Then—then you can have them over.”  He genuinely smiled as he said, “I’d rather get to _know_ the people you sneak out to see.”  Gabriel was surprised to feel mirth in his eyes—not vague distain—as he said.  “At least I’ll know where you’re at.”

     Adrien jumped out of his seat and hugged his father from the side.  It was an uncomfortable hug—Adrien was standing, leaning down to hug the still-seated Gabriel, and Gabriel patted the arm around his chest awkwardly.  Finally, Adrien pulled away, thanking Gabriel profusely.

     Gabriel nodded curtly, choosing _not_ to respond to Adrien’s ramblings. 

     Suddenly, his son paused, and Gabriel lifted his eyebrows at the change of attitude.

     “Father, what if Marinette says no?”

     Gabriel had, of course, anticipated this.  “I doubt she will.”  Adrien furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and Gabriel hurried to cover his slip, implying the Dupain-Cheng girl’s feelings for him.  “Tell her I’ll look over her portfolio.  Personally.”

     “But, Father, she’s hard-working.  I know her—she’ll want you to see it, definitely—but… but not like this.”  Gabriel blinked in surprise.  Now _that_ he had _not_ anticipated.  Surely she was just as ambitious as any other aspiring fashion designer out there?  Would she _really_ be that foolish as to turn down a gift horse?  To turn down what others would call networking?

     Adrien kept going, oblivious to Gabriel’s thoughts.  “She’s not going to ignore the rules in place for portfolio submissions just because she’s doing me a favor.”  He paused.  “ _Especially_ because she’s doing me a favor.”  He smiled fondly, and Gabriel figured that Adrien was unaware that he was even doing so.  As much as Gabriel _hated_ Ladybug’s guts, he couldn’t help but be impressed by the Dupain-Cheng gir— _Marinette_ ’s—honor.  If what Adrien was saying was actually true, then… then Ladybug wasn’t just good because she _had_ to be.  She was good because she _wanted_ to be.  She was apparently _good_ in the way his Emilie was, then…  Huh.

     Gabriel was pulled out of his reverie by Adrien’s giggle.  His _giggle_.  And for the second time that night he saw parallels between his son’s love story and his own with Emilie.  The way he described her, Marinette was very _much_ like his Emilie.  He smiled proudly for a moment at the thought of his son caring for a girl who was as big-hearted as his wife.  Adrien didn’t notice, presumably still lost in thoughts about his “friend”, but fear crept slowly into Gabriel’s mind that Adrien only felt this was about Marinette _because_ she was so much like Emilie.  His son had met her only two months after his mother’s disappearance, after all.  Was Marinette so similar to her that she was acting as a substitute in his subconscious?

     Gabriel ignored the bad feeling in the back of his throat.  With a disembodied voice that sounded an awful lot like his own, Gabriel told Adrien that the company would automatically accept Marinette’s portfolio submission whenever she was ready—regardless of the usual minimum age restriction of sixteen.  Two years wasn’t a lot in the business, especially not at Marinette’s age, and she would know that.  But it would at least be a means of expressing gratitude, and she would still be judged fairly (i.e., anonymously) alongside the rest of the applicants like she wanted.

     Adrien hugged his father at the compromise before sprinting off to his room.  Gabriel presumed that he was either going off to call Marinette, or—more likely—to transform and meet up with Ladybug… who was Marinette.  Even if she didn’t realize it, the Dupain-Cheng girl, who he was slowly realizing more and more was like his lost wife, would find out about her newfound ‘relationship’ with his son tonight.

     Gabriel rubbed the bridge of his nose, already planning how he could get Marinette’s miraculous away from her without her noticing.  Not to _mention_ he had to send out the occasional akuma so as to avoid suspicion as Papillon.  They would be easy ones spread out less often than usual, but he had to send them out, nonetheless.  _Ugh…_

     Gabriel pushed lightly against the table to push his chair out, and he startled to see Adrien looming directly in front of him.  _Damn cat stealth powers_ … 

     After Gabriel asked Adrien what he wanted, his son rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously, looking off to the side.  “Uh, Father?” he asked.  “Could you… could you maybe… send me a copy of that picture?”

     Gabriel blanched and nodded, dumbstruck.  Adrien hugged his father once more—Gabriel didn’t react this time—before bounding away again.

     If there was one thing Gabriel was certain of after the roller coaster of events that night, it was that Marinette was _not_ just a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. So there's a lot.
> 
> 1) As mentioned above, this IS my first ML fic. I love the show, and I LOVE the love-square. The fact that I'm writing what will ultimately be a Gabrinette fanfic is ridiculous to me.
> 
> 2) This WILL ultimately be Gabrinette. I think that it will build up an Adrienette relationship, so it's got that going for it, but it will be Gabrinette.
> 
> At least that's the plan. My stories tend to have a mind of their own when I'm typing.
> 
> 3) This is also my first published multi-chapter fic. I've started writing one a while back, which has not yet been published and has been thoroughly ignored on my computer for a while now for personal reasons, but this will be the first one that I'm publishing.
> 
> I've also started writing a multi-chapter fic that will start the chronology of my soon-to-be-created Kim Possible series, of which my first published work [A New Day to Conquer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14119752) will be a part. However, I'm finding myself struggling to write the first chapter for that properly. 
> 
> Hence, this. 
> 
> I started reading the fanfic [Paper Cuts; Leather Binds](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13568874/chapters/31140384), which portrays what a (genuine?) Gabrinette relationship might look like. Don't get me wrong--I genuinely am enjoying [LadybugSin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadybugSin/pseuds/LadybugSin) and [Sinfulpapillon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinfulpapillon/pseuds/Sinfulpapillon)'s work, but it got me thinking about how I would interpret such a relationship.
> 
> That being said, I wrote this first chapter instead of a draft of a literature paper. Please appreciate it.
> 
> And last but not least...
> 
> 5) ... Did... did you get my Princess Diaries 2 reference? (I'm literally a sleep-deprived child in a 20 year old's body. What am I doing anymore.)
> 
> As I've mentioned before, feel free to check me out on my [tumblr](https://dragannaheireann.tumblr.com/) (which I'm still trying to develop into some kind of working, functional thing. Bear with me while I figure out what kind of content I want on there.) 
> 
> Feel free to message me there, and/or to leave comments here! Thanks!
> 
> ~Annika


	2. Stage 1: Talk to Marinette... Or Plan To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien tells Nino who tells Alya...  
> Marinette's still in the dark.

     Adrien ran up the stairs to his room.  “I can’t believe I just asked Father for that picture,” he whispered to himself.  He slammed the door shut and slid down against it to the floor.

     Plagg flew out of his shirt, floating in front of him with his paws on his nonexistent hips.  “Really?  I would have guessed it a _mile_ away,” he taunted.  Adrien pouted his lip at his kwami’s sing-song voice, frustrated that he had said that out loud.  “You and your _girlfriend_ were _really_ cozy there, weren’t you?”

     Adrien’s ears heated up, and right then, he knew that his face would be a match for his Lady’s suit.  “Come on, Plagg.  She’s just a friend.”

     “You say that now, Adrien, but you know what your _father_ said.”  Adrien squinted in Plagg’s direction.  “No more ‘friends’, and a lot more… _smoochy-smoochy_.”  He snickered, and Adrien reached for something to throw at him, only to realize that he was not on his bed. 

     Instead, he pulled his knees closer to his head, rested his elbows on his knees, and then rested his head in his hands.  “Plagg, what am I going to do?” he moaned.  “Marinette’s going to _hate_ me.  I can’t just ask her to be my _girlfriend_.  Not like this.”

     “Hmmm.  _Interesting_ ,” Plagg began.  “So you _were_ going to ask Pigtails to be your girlfriend.  _I_ see how it is.”  He swooped over to the mini fridge under Adrien’s desk and phased through it only to drag out a slice of camembert.  “You ngow,” he said, his mouth full of cheese, “maybe you shu ahsk er aut fer rea.”  He swallowed the slice and grinned a tiny-fanged grin at his chosen.

     “I love Ladybug, remember?”  Adrien raised his eyebrows slightly, then closed his eyes and sighed.  “She’s so smart and kind and _brave_ …”  Adrien’s eyes clouded over, and somewhere his mind registered that Plagg gagged.

     “Ugh, don’t remind me.  ‘But she’s _Ladybug_.  No one could _ever_ compare to _Ladybug_.’”  He stuck his tongue out and started rubbing it with his paws.  Once he was done presumably cleansing his pallet from mocking Adrien’s words of devotion to his Lady, he shook them rapidly.

     “It’s not like that, Plagg.  It’s just that… well… I _love_ her.”  He pursed his lips as he stared at the floor in front of him.  “It’s… It’s that she’s taken my heart.  I guess no one could ever compare to her because no one else _is_ her.  Even if somebody is better at things than she is, they’re not my soulmate.  _She’s_ my soulmate, Plagg.  And your soulmate is the one who is made for you.  No one else compares because no one else is made for me.”

     “Blech.  You humans and your love issues.  You forget I’m a five thousand year old god,” Plagg said, his voice beginning to rise into his teasing tone.  “And I know more about soulmates and love than you ever will.”  The sing-song aspect made Adrien’s stomach churn uncomfortably, and he turned his attention towards the ground in front of him, staring blankly at nothing in particular.

     He only looked up when Plagg placed himself directly in front of his face.

     “Listen, kid,” the kwami said.  His voice had dropped a few octaves, and his trickster’s smile had disappeared off of his face.  “I’m not saying anything, and you’re stuck in this situation anyways!  Ladybug made it clear that she’s interested in someone else, and… maybe it’s time you did the same.”

     “How can you say that?!”  Adrien shouted, jumping up from his spot on the floor.  He began pacing his room while chastising his kwami.  “Ladybug is good and kind and honest and funny and silly and—oh, _God_ , is she beautiful.”  His eyes started glazing over at the thought of his spotted Lady.  “So beautiful.”

     Plagg didn’t have the energy to argue with him anymore.

\-------

     Adrien had decided that night that he would approach Marinette with his father’s idea as soon as possible.

     The next morning, he made an effort to get to school early in the hopes that he could catch her before class started, despite knowing that she usually ran late.  He smiled at his friend’s predisposition for tardiness.

     Nino was the first to arrive.  “Dude, what brings you here so early?” he asked Adrien as he slid into the seat next to him.

     “I was hoping to catch Marinette, actually.”  Adrien couldn’t look Nino in the eye.

     “Dude, finally!”

_That_ was not what he expected.

     “Wait, what?”

     “You and Marinette, right?” 

_How had he known about this?_ Adrien thought. _Had Father already contacted his friends about this?_   Well, it would make today’s tasks easier if he had.

     “Uh… sort of.”  Nino furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips.  “I mean…”  He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  He finally settled on the right words.  “What exactly do you know?”

     “Nuh-uh,” Nino said, shaking his head.  “I am _not_ giving up any information.  Alya would _kill_ me.”

_Ok_ , Adrien thought.  _This is a start._   He turned towards his friend energetically.  “See?  That right there.  You know _something_.  I just don’t know _what_.”  Nino sat silently yet again.  “Come on, help me out here.”

     Nino sighed.  “Why don’t you just tell me everything, and then I can correct you?” 

     Compromise.  Adrien could do that. 

     “Ok.  I don’t know exactly what you know, but I talked to my father last night.”  Adrien paused and looked at Nino expectantly.

     Nothing.  It looked like Nino was serious when he said tell him _everything_. 

     So he did.  As the students filed in, he lowered his voice, glancing at the door every time somebody entered hoping to see Marinette.  He reminded Nino of the Gorizilla incident, and how his father wanted him to date Marinette for… simplicity’s sake, he guessed.

     He also told him what it would mean if she went along with it.

     When Adrien was finished, Nino finally looked away.  Adrien took the opportunity to glance at his phone, only to see that there were two minutes before class started.  Marinette was, as he predicted, late again.

     Nino suddenly grabbed Adrien by the shoulders, effectively forcing the blond to look him in the eye.  “Don’t say _anything_ yet.  I want to run this by Alya.”  His hurried whispers shot chills down Adrien’s back, and he wondered if his easy-going friend had always been this terrifying.  He also wasn’t sure what made Nino so adamant that Alya hear about it first, but then the bell was ringing and Mme. Bustier was conducting her positive warm-ups for the day and he didn’t have time to question his friend’s demands. 

      He did, however, wink at Marinette when she snuck in during Mme. Bustier’s instructions. 

      Nino face-palmed beside him.

\-------

     During free period, Nino spotted Alya talking with Marinette in the locker room.  The plan had been to have some make-up best friend time, for both Alya and Nino had seen precious little of their friends over the past couple of weeks.  Alya had been complaining that Marinette was still flaking, and Adrien had been so preoccupied with photo shoots that the Dynamic Duo (as they had unofficially dubbed themselves at some point during the last few months) was becoming despairingly desperate for dynamite action.

     He approached them hesitantly—Alya would definitely not be mad at him once she heard what he had to say, but God help him if he wouldn’t feel her wrath from taking her away from her best friend until he told her the incident.  Taking a deep breath, he strode over to the two girls confidently, his arms raised to his chest as he marched to Marinette’s locker.

     Interrupting their conversation as he reached the locker, Nino announced to Alya: “Babe, I’m not trying to take away from best friend make-up time, but I need to talk to you.”  Both she and Marinette fell silent.  Marinette stood with hunched shoulders, standing sheepishly with a shy grin in a space which rightfully belonged to her, while Alya stared at him with half-lidded, joyless eyes, pursed lips, and a raised eyebrow, her arms crossed at her chest and her hip cocked. 

     Nino inaudibly gulped, but persisted in his quest to make sense of this goddamn Twilight Zone into which Adrien had dragged him not four hours prior.  He spoke up again.  “Five minutes.”  Darting his eyes towards Marinette, he said the magic word.  “Alone.”

_That_ got Alya’s attention.  Her eyes widened, and she relaxed her stance.  Turning towards Marinette, she rested her hand on her best friend’s shoulder, warning her that if she didn’t return in five minutes, it was safe to assume she had been kidnapped by a madman and that she should call the police.  It earned a chuckle from both Nino and Marinette.  She and Alya agreed to meet on the steps of the school as Marinette walked away from the young couple.

     “This had better be good, Lahiffe,” Alya told her boyfriend as he hooked her hand around his arm, the two slowly walking out of the locker room and away from prying ears.

     He laughed quietly as she slid her hand down his arm and took his hand into her own, knowing that she’d be glad that he didn’t wait to tell her until after school.

     Once they left the locker room, he told her an abbreviated version of the incident with Adrien’s father.  “Basically Adrien’s old man wants him to fake-date Marinette to keep him from avoiding ‘scandals.’”

     Alya stopped in her tracks, her hand falling slack.  Nino furrowed his eyebrows and turned around to see his girlfriend with wide eyes and her hand on her hips.

     “What the _hell_?”

     Nino shot his hands up in the air.  “That’s what I said when Adrien told me!  Or rather, that’s what I _thought_.  God knows I wouldn’t say that to him to his face.  Him still being innocent and all.”

     Alya smirked and walked back towards her boyfriend, taking his hand back in hers.  “Why, though?  I mean, I get that Papa Agreste wants Golden Boy to stay innocent for the cameras and all, but surely there has to be another reason?” she asked him, looking up into his eyes. 

     “I don’t know, babe.  All I know is that he’s so desperate for this to pan out that he’s willing to let all of us hang out at his house in exchange for this.”

     Alya’s head moved back, with her eyebrows low on her forehead as her eyes fell down to the ground, lost in thought.  “That’s unusual.  Why would Gabriel want Adrien to have a girlfriend that _badly_?” 

     Nino just shook his head, and Alya looked back up in response.  “What—why did you tell me first?”

     Nino’s eyes glowed, and he smiled warmly at his girlfriend.  “We’re a team, right?  Partners?”

     Alya smiled back at him with just as much warmth.  “Partners,” she said, as she huddled against his side.  Nino pressed into her side gently and nuzzled his nose in her hair.

     “Besides,” he whispered into her hair, “I knew you’d have a scathingly _brilliant_ idea as to how to go about this.”

     Alya pulled away from their armless embrace.  “I—I don’t know that I do, hon.”

     “What?  You’re Alya—of course you have an idea!”

     “Hmm.  Not this time, babe.  I think Adrien _needs_ to work this out with Marinette, but knowing him, he won’t tell her his side of the deal, because he won’t want her to take pity on him, but knowing her, she would do it regardless of whether she knew just so that Adrien would be in good graces with his father.”  Alya paused, taking in the selflessness of her best friend and the naïveté of her boyfriend’s best friend.  “I think I’ll tell her the whole thing before Adrien does.  At least that way she can decide what to do _before_ he springs it on her and she says yes out of shock more than anything.”  She smirked.  “That way too, if Adrien _does_ decide to take the ‘I-don’t-want-to-say-the-whole-story-so-that-you-don’t-think-I’m-more-pathetic-than-I-already-am’ route, she’ll know.  It’ll endear him to her.”

     Nino smirked in kind at his girlfriend’s plan.  “I like the way you think, babe.”

     The couple kissed on top step of the school before parting ways for lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I know not much happens in this chapter, but I think it needed to be written before I could get to the good stuff.
> 
> Also I threw in a reference to the movie called The Trouble With Angels, which is a really funny 60s film starring Haley Mills (think original Parent Trap) as a troublemaker in an all-girls Catholic boarding school. It's better than it sounds. Go watch it if you can.
> 
> Thanks for being patient. I don't have an excuse as to why it's late, but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> ~Annika


	3. Stage 2: Confirmation... Or Intimidation?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel plans on facing Marinette one-on-one to confirm his plan, but meeting Young Ladybug is a different experience than he plans...

     Marinette walked back to the bakery alone after school, completely unaware of the nervous turmoil Adrien was harboring in his heart whilst waiting for Nino to get back to him with the a-okay from Alya.  Humming along to the Parisian song in her heart, she strolled into the bakery with daydreams of a handsome boy with eyes like summer grass and hair like golden wheat.  With her eyes closed in thought, she giggled at the thought of her pure soulmate having a pure meadow scene for an appearance. 

     Her giggles stopped when she bumped into a man in front of her, her train of thought crashing to a halt.

     “Sir, I’m so sorr—”  Marinette’s jaw dropped as the man in front of her turned around to reveal none other than the designer himself: Gabriel Agreste.  He stood tall and proud, his shoulders back and his hands behind his back.

     She tried not to think about how the crash of her train of thought caused her idyllic meadow in the countryside to catch fire under the steely gaze of her love’s father—or how the blue of his eyes looked like it could freeze over the hills with nary a glance.

     “M—Monsieur Agreste!”  Her thoughts were ablaze and she had to squelch the destruction before it caused any irreparable damage.  Blinking a few times under his unamused scowl, she shook her head quickly and rooted herself to the ground.  Taking a deep breath, she tried to reclaim some of the calm that had washed over her on her short trip from school, and, thinking of Adrien, looked M. Agreste in the eyes as she regained her cheery disposition. 

     “What a pleasure to see you again!”  Marinette glanced over to the counter to see that it was unmanned—her mother must be in back helping her father during a lull in customers.  Lightly jogging behind the cash register, she placed her backpack on the floor behind the counter, as she typed in the code to provide access to the transaction program on the connected tablet, forcing herself to play the businesswoman rather than panic over Adrien.  “How may I help you today?”  _Better to play it cool, Marinette.  Don’t assume anything_.  _Everything is fine._

     Gabriel’s glare softened, and he tilted his head with slightly narrowed eyes, his hands still clasped behind his back.  “You mean my son hasn’t talked to you?”

     Marinette dropped her hands from the cash register, resting on the purse strap in which Tikki napped.  She watched as Gabriel briefly followed those hands and glared at her purse for a moment before returning his attention to her eyes.  She tightened her hold on her purse—hopefully in an unnoticeable way to Gabriel in front of her—as she still did not completely trust the man after she discovered the Miraculous book in his possession.  “We talk every day, sir,” she started, her words leaving her lips slowly.  “We’re friends.”

     Gabriel pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the young heroine in front of him.  “I see.”  He paused, and Marinette stood her ground, rather than shifting under his gaze like she normally would have.  _If nothing else_ , she thought, _I need to show him that I’m strong enough to withstand the troubles of the fashion world, even if he’s not Hawkmoth._

     Gabriel, with his hands still behind his back, took a few steps towards the counter, behind which Marinette still stood.  She loosened her taut muscles and relaxed, resting one hand on the counter while the other rested upon the clasp of the purse which housed Tikki.  Standing directly on the other side, not even three feet away from Marinette, he continued.  “So he hasn’t told you of my… _proposition_ for you,” he drawled. 

     Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed.  “Prop-proposition?  With all due respect, sir—” ( _If any respect is due_ ) “if you have a proposition for me, why would you ask Adrien to tell me?  Surely you wanted to discuss it with me yourself?  Is Adrien involved?”  Before she knew it, her heart lurched in her chest out of fear for her Adrien, and her eyes shone at the thought of her beloved.

\-------

     Gabriel looked at the young girl and recognized the look in her eyes.  He had hoped that it would be one of caution, and while he _had_ seen it previously during this conversation—namely, when he approached her in her parents’ bakery—he realized that what her eyes betrayed could either be the downfall or the missing puzzle piece to his plan, for the young Dupain-Cheng girl did not betray signs of caution or fear.  Oh, no.  This was much worse.  This was something for which he had not calculated.

     Young Ladybug was filled with _worry_ and _adoration_.  Over _Adrien_.

_Oh yes,_ he thought, smirking to himself.  _I can work with this_.

\-------

     Marinette’s fear of Adrien quickly washed away as she took in M. Agreste’s smile.  It… it wasn’t a kind smile, and she began questioning what she said that could have made the famous designer look that way at her…  Look at her like she was—like she was a pawn in some game.

     He was up to something—she was sure of it.  But she couldn’t let him _know_ that, now could she?  Looking off to the side, in such a way that she hoped he would construe it as confusion, she asked: “May I ask what is so funny, Monsieur Agreste?” 

     Gabriel coughed slightly, and he unclasped his hands from behind his back to cough into his fist while closing his eyes.  Marinette took the brief moment which would not be scrutinized by Gabriel to take a deep breath and steel her resolve.  When he looked up, he rested both his hands on the edge of the counter, as though he were _also_ steeling himself for what was to come next, although she supposed he had the advantage in knowing what exactly that was.

     When he looked into her eyes, she found herself shocked that she saw her reflection rather than his own.  What unnerved her was that the reflection was not coming from his glasses, but rather his eyes themselves.

\-------

     Gabriel, on the other hand, found himself truly looking into the eyes of the young woman he _finally_ knew to be Ladybug for the first time—the first time that she looked at Gabriel not as a fashion designer, nor the father of her “friend,” nor even the eyes of her enemy—just the eyes of a young girl looking at a grown man. 

     He had awaited this moment—the one in which he would finally look eye-to-eye with Ladybug.  He had awaited it for what felt like an eternity, and he had expected to see the eyes of a child.  When he had pictured it, he dreaded the possibility that he would be looking into the eyes of Emilie.  After all, Adrien _did_ say once that Ladybug had her eyes.  Not in color, of course, but he figured the boy saw something of his mother’s personality in the heroine.  Thus, he expected to see kindness there.

     And there it was!  He felt himself take in a deep breath at the sight, but he was more shocked by the fact that he did not see his _wife_ in Marinette’s eyes, so much as he saw _himself_.

     And that _terrified_ him.

     The same steel, the same determination, the same pride, the same… _everything_.

     The only difference is that she also exhibited his wife’s most prized trait, and he felt his heart crack a bit at the sight.

     Adrien had chosen _well_ with the young woman in front of him.

     But… if _Gabriel_ saw himself and Emilie in the Dupain-Cheng girl’s eyes, did Adrien see it as well?  Did Adrien see more of his parents in this girl than he saw the girl herself?  When did the attraction to the similarities end and the attraction to the qualities themselves begin?

\-------

     Marinette kept her gaze locked on Gabriel’s, but she couldn’t for the _life_ of her figure out what was going on in his mind.  At first, she had seen steely resolve, then a brief, passing moment of _fear_ , of all things, then… pride?  But then… why on _earth_ was Gabriel _confused_?

     She didn’t have time to ponder the bipolar aspects of Gabriel’s internal struggle, for he quickly shook his head as he gripped the counter across from her tighter. 

\-------

     Gabriel looked down at his feet in a futile attempt at grounding himself throughout this… _revelation_ of sorts.  But it wouldn’t do to have the girl—his _enemy_ —think that he was _weak_.  No… he had a plan and he needed to _stick_ with it!

     “My apologies, Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” he began, not quite ready to look back up into the eyes of the _teenager_ that defeated him time and time again.  “I… appear to not be myself today.”

     He took a deep breath, planning on staring this _girl_ down, but before he could exhale—

     “Then who are you?”

\-------

     The words left Marinette’s mouth before she even realized that she had spoken them, but by then it was too late.

     Gabriel had looked up, his eyebrows raised and his mouth agape.  His eyes shone and Marinette was hesitant to give a name to the emotion that was radiating from his being.  Yet if she wasn’t mistaken, Gabriel Agreste looked… _surprised_.  _And_ a little frightened. 

     Those words, however innocuous, had affected him, and Marinette gripped tightly on her purse strap to draw strength from Tikki against this man...

     This man who, in that moment, appeared more lost than Adrien ever did…

     Marinette struggled to put on a strong façade in front of him, hoping that her Ladybug side would shine through (but not _too_ much—it wouldn’t do to have him be suspicious).

     But… she knew then and there that the _look_ M. Agreste was giving her would stay with her for the rest of her life.  It walked on the fine line between hope and despair, joy and sadness, love and heartbreak, life and _death_ —

     Marinette was certain that those emotions weren’t meant for her eyes, but that didn’t stop her from trying to understand the man behind them.  This was the father of her beloved.  Her fashion icon.  The first real suspect she and Chat Noir have had for Hawkmoth’s identity—

     She shut her eyes tightly and let go of her purse strap, and although she could feel the blood pulse through her knuckles after having held the material so tightly for so long, the possibility that Gabriel might still be connected with the man who was terrorizing her beloved Paris grounded her, and she decided to let Ladybug take over for the rest of her conversation with Gabriel Agreste.

     “Who are you, then, sir, if not yourself?”

\-------

     Gabriel knew that he was standing in the middle of a bakery with his mouth open like a fish.  He _knew_ that.  He had a _plan_.  He just needed to _execute_ it. 

     Somehow Ladybug always managed to get under his skin, one way or another.  Apparently she could now _unnerve_ him as well. 

_Wonderful_.

     Somehow his thoughts managed to return to him, slowly but surely.  Yet, he was left with the sinking feeling that Ladybug—no, she had a name now— _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ —had the upper hand in the conversation, even though she _still_ didn’t know why he was in her home—on her turf, so to speak.

     And then she had to go and say _that_.

     He blinked slowly, and in the back of his mind he was reminded of Adrien’s cat tendencies from the day prior.  He exhaled audibly at the thought of picking up the traits of a Miraculous not his own.

     He closed his eyes, feeling that he needed to recompose himself before looking the _heroine_ — _ugh_ —in the eyes again.

     “Excuse me?” he asked, memorizing the insides of his eyelids.

     “Who are you if not yourself?” she asked once more.

     He opened his eyes, and was met not with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, but _Ladybug_.  The fire in her eyes was not that of a young girl afraid, but rather, a young woman _strong_. 

_How had Adrien never genuinely noticed her?_

            -------

     Marinette was taken aback by her words this time, although she made sure to not show it in the face of the (potential) enemy.  Who was _she_ , if not herself?  What did that mean for Marinette Dupain-Cheng?  For Ladybug?  If she was always herself, regardless of whether she was acting as Marinette or Ladybug in any particular moment, did that mean that… did that mean that Marinette and Ladybug were _truly_ one and the same? 

     All she could do was hope that the man in front of her left before she had a complete mental breakdown.

            -------

     Gabriel noticed some kind of war behind the Dupain-Cheng girl’s eyes, but he couldn’t place what it was.  Nor did he truly _want_ to at that moment, anyhow.  He would have plenty of time to pick her brains once she was under his roof—on _his_ turf.

     For now, he just needed to get her to agree to his proposal.  Maybe her adoration for Adrien would truly pay off, if not her ambition in the fashion world.

     He felt his accustomed steel settle in his heart at this resolve, and he chose to endure this… this _breakdown_ he had begun to suffer at a later point in time.

     Gabriel released the counter between him and his enemy and straightened his back.  If the change in his posture affected the girl in front of him, she didn’t show it, and Gabriel had to fight to suppress the smirk that threatened to emerge at the thought of his foe not being intimidated by him in the flesh.

     But would she be if she truly knew who was standing before her?

     One day, he decided, he would _make_ her.

     One day would have to wait, however, as he needed to enact his plan to seduce—he shuddered.  _Wrong word for such a young girl_.  He needed to enact his plan to _fool_ —to _fool_ —the teenager in front of him into trusting him.  He needed to get her Miraculous. 

\-------

     Gabriel straightened in front of her, and while his stature was intimidating, Marinette could not find it in herself to actually _be_ … well, _intimidated_.  He was threatening, certainly, but (Marinette internally scoffed) he was _crazy_.

     What kind of man would ally himself with a madman?  A madman himself, then. 

     He didn’t intimidate her.  Did she intimidate him?  One day, she decided, she _would_.

\-------

     Gabriel decided to just be out with it—tell the girl what he wanted and get her to agree by any means necessary.

     “You… you have been seen with my son recently… in the public eye…” he drawled out slowly.

     “Yes…” Marinette countered, just as slowly.  “We’re friends, as I’ve said before.  We’re bound to be seen together in public at some point or another.”

     Gabriel hummed.  “Yes, well, your last escapade with Adrien resulted in some speculations about the _nature_ of your relationship.”

     He didn’t bother to hide his smirk when he noticed that Marinette blushed profusely in front of him.  “Y-yes, well…  I mean… He was trying to stop the following from paparazziing him—I mean!—uh, I was trying to media him from being helped—”

     Gabriel raised his hand to stop her ramblings.  _Oh yes_ , he thought, _this will work out_ quite _nicely_.  “I am not, uh… _chastising_ you for being out with him.  _Even if_ the means by which you did it were _unseemly_.”

     “Oh!  If you’re talking about my attire, M. Agreste, I assure you that was a _complete_ misunderstanding.  _And_ a mistake!  You see, I was late—”

     Gabriel waved his hand again to get her to stop, and repressed memories began to resurface.  He pushed them back to mull over _after_ he accomplished stage one of his plan.

     “Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you misunderstand me.  While that day was a fiasco for all of us—myself especially…”  Gabriel felt his eyes glaze over as he remembered Adrien’s fall from the skyscraper.  He shook his head quickly.  He felt Nooroo buzz on the inside of his sport coat, trying to comfort him (or grant him strength—he never really could understand the kwami all that well).

     “That day was a fiasco.  However, it cemented your place in Adrien’s life in the media.”

     “M. Agreste—”

     Gabriel interrupted her with her mouth agape.  “Please, Ms. Dupain-Cheng.  Allow me to finish.”  The teenager shut her jaw.  “Thank you.”  Gabriel began pacing, as he realized that he had never expected to have to _explain_ this plan to Ladybug _herself_.  And _really_ , shouldn’t Adrien have _told_ her by now—either as himself or as Chat Noir?

     “Ms. Dupain-Cheng, the media sees you as Adrien’s girlfriend.  I propose to cement that assumption as fact.”

     Gabriel turned to Marinette just in time to see her head snap back.  Her face was beginning to pale, and he noticed that she was floundering for words.

     “Now, I’ve already discussed this with Adrien, and although I had _presumed_ that he would discuss this with you already, it appears as though he hasn’t.  Therefore, I will tell you what I told him last night.

     “I don’t expect you and he to actually… _court_.  Adrien has been hounded by the media for the last few months now that he’s come of age to begin such rituals—”  He heard a giggle coming from behind him.

     Ladybug— _Ladybug_ was _giggling_ at him!

     “Are you amused, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?”

     She blanched.  “What?!  Oh, no, sir, I’m just—”  Giggles.  “Your choice in words is, uh… _amusing_ , that’s all.”

     Gabriel hummed.  It was best not to pick a fight after all.  “Yes, well—”

     “I know that Adrien is the paparazzi’s new favorite target, M. Agreste,” the Dupain-Cheng girl said.  “That was why I was with him that day.  I had been rushed that morning on my way to meet up with my girlfriends, and I ran into Adrien.  He had asked me to hide out here—”  She stomped the ground with her foot to demonstrate her meaning.  “—until the media left him alone.  We were together for the rest of the day to avoid them.  Well, until the akuma happened, of course.  Then we got separated.

     “You’re asking me to pose as Adrien’s girlfriend in order to keep the press away from him, right?”

     It was Gabriel’s turn for his head to snap back.  His eyebrows furrowed as no words could escape his mouth.  All he could do was nod.

     “What-what if…”  The girl in front of him took a deep breath.  The fact that she was visibly distraught by what she was attempting to say was a good sign, at least.  “What if he meets somebody else that he likes?  And wants to date them?  Wouldn’t that cause more of a scandal than that which he and I have caused already?”

     Gabriel shook his head.  “Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” he began.  _Tell her or don’t tell her about Adrien’s crush?_   Her hopeful face answered it for him.  _Don’t_.  “I know for a fact that Adrien has a, uh… _celebrity crush_ on an unattainable.”

     “But he’s—”

     “He’s a model and the girl he has eyes for right now is out of his league in every sense imaginable,” Gabriel interjected.  _If only she knew how true that was_ , he thought to himself.  This girl in front of him was so _very_ much out of his league.  True, he wanted the best for his son, and even though he would oppose the match on the principle of her being Ladybug alone, Adrien needed someone who would lift him up, not coddle him.  While Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in a league all her own, she believed that Adrien was leagues above her.  It would never do.

     “Right now I do not believe that to be an issue at any time in the foreseeable future.”

     The Dupain-Cheng girl nodded slowly and looked away from him.

     “I can’t help but notice that you’re not asking about _yourself_ in this situation, Ms. Dupain-Cheng.”

     “My name’s Marinette, M. Agreste,” she said, strength entering her voice.  “A-and are you asking me to do this for Adrien?  Or are you asking me to do this for you?”

     Gabriel stood at a loss for words.  He was creating this whole plan for his own benefit, naturally.  Adrien _would_ benefit from it in the end, of course, once he rescued Emilie, but in essence, it _was_ for him.  Obviously, Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng wouldn’t like the sound of that, however. 

     _Play it safe.  This is Ladybug._   “Both of us.  This kind of favor that I’m asking of you would keep negative media off of the Agreste label and name.  It’s such that I would allow Adrien to have his friends over.  You and the blogger and the bubble boy.”

     “They have names, too, Monsieur.  Alya and Nino.”

     “Alya.  And Nino?” Gabriel repeated, making a question out of Adrien’s best friend’s name.  Marinette nodded.

     “Yes, good.  Them.  Normally I don’t like—”  Gabriel cut himself off lest he actually reveal his true feelings about these people Adrien called “friends” and thus accidentally incite Marinette to such a degree that she refuse his proposal.  “I don’t like strangers in my household.  But since you and Adrien would _both_ be sacrificing for this, it seems that I should get to know the people who would _care_ about him enough to comply with my wishes.”  He made sure to emphasize the words that would trigger Marinette’s affection for his son.  She blushed, and he knew that his words had the desired effect.

     “Of course, I would ask you to spend some time with Adrien by yourselves every now and then.  And we wouldn’t be making any official announcements.  I don’t like Adrien doing interviews, but he _does_ do them every now and then.  That leads to questions about his personal life, and the media are getting brazen.  The next interview that he does, which won’t be for a few months, I assure you, will probably be when the next journalist asks him about it.  He doesn’t answer questions by hounding media.  That should give you a while to get, uh, ‘into the role,’ so to speak.”  He smirked, knowing that his bait already caught the catfish.  Or rather, his honey already trapped the Ladybug in his fly trap.

     “I—I haven’t yet agreed to your proposal, sir,” the girl in front of him said hesitantly.

     “Yes, well, allowing you and the others over is more-or-less _Adrien’s_ incentive.  As for _you_ , my dear—”

     “ _Marinette_ ,” she interjected.

     “Ms. _Marinette_.  I understand that you have an interest in fashion.  Is that correct?  I seem to recall you winning the derby hat competition I hosted at Adrien’s school.”

     “Yes, sir, M. Agreste!  It’s my dream to become a fashion designer.  I even make all of my own clothes, _and_ some of my friends’!”

      Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up.  He looked the Dupain-Cheng girl up and down.  Her blazer was well-made—the stitching nothing fancy, but practical for everyday use.  He couldn’t see her pants, but her shirt—the embroidery on her shirt was something else _entirely_.  The actual stitches themselves were _extremely_ well done, and the design was tasteful, if simple.  Nevertheless, it wasn’t anything that _he_ could have designed at that age, surely.

            -------

     Marinette noted Gabriel’s eyes on her chest.  Well, she _assumed_ that he was trying to take notes on her embroidery on her shirt, but still…

     She crossed her arms in front of her chest and cleared her throat.  Gabriel rapidly blinked, and he began blushing profusely.  When he made eye contact with her, however, she realized that his pupils were _not_ dilated, so surely _that_ was something, right?

\-------

     Had he _really_ been looking at her _chest_?!  No, truth be told, he was looking at the embroidery on her shirt, which happened to _rest_ on her chest, but of _course_ that didn’t stop the girl from being uncomfortable…

_Damn it, Gabriel!_   He realized that he ought to remember that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was not a model, and therefore she was _not_ accustomed to having strangers look her over…  Gabriel sighed.  He needed to make some adjustments to how he acted around these… _children_ , he supposed.

     “I apologize, Ms. Dup—Marinette.  I was admiring your needlework.”  He looked up to make eye contact with her and found that she was blushing.  _Hopefully from the compliment and not the accidental leering_ , he hoped.

     “You show promise, as you did with the derby hat.  Thus, as I told Adrien, when you’re ready to submit a portfolio I will look it over myself.  No need to fuss about with the go-betweens and all.”

     “With all due respect, M. Agreste, that wouldn’t be fair to other applicants.  I would rather wait and submit my portfolio to your company like everybody else competing for internships at the Agreste label.”

     Gabriel paused, mulling her statement over in his mind.  “Adrien was right about you,” he muttered.

\-------

     “Wh-what?!”  Marinette shouted.  _Adrien_ had spoken to his father about her?  Well, of course, he would have, he apparently agreed to this plan Gabriel concocted.  But still—he _talked_ to him about her!

\-------

     “Adrien was _right_ about you,” Gabriel repeated to her, albeit more loudly.

     “H-how so, sir?” she asked him.

     “You are fair, and strong.  Not everybody would turn down a gift horse in this scenario, regardless of ethics or networks or things like that.  I think he admires that about you.”  Gabriel could feel his eyes crinkle at the edges as Marinette put her hands to her mouth.  “I, too, admire that about you.”  His eyes widened at that, and he realized that he understood why Adrien liked her.  The _way_ he liked her was unhealthy, and most likely could not be corrected.  Not at this point.  But she reminded Gabriel of Emilie, and thus, it was more than likely that Adrien saw those same qualities in Ladybug.

     But whereas Gabriel saw the same qualities of strength in young Ladybug as he saw in Emilie, Adrien saw nurturing qualities in Ladybug. 

     No, should his son ever enter into a relationship with the young woman in front of him, it would surely turn sour.

     But in the meantime, the cat would have his fun.  Or rather, the butterfly would get his nectar...  No, that was a bee… _Ugh!_   _Something_ like that. 

     “What do you, say, young Ladyb—”  Gabriel cleared his throat.  “Young Lady?”

     Ms. Dupain-Cheng didn’t seem to react to his near slip-up, thank God.  “Ms. Dup—Marinette?”

     Steel resolve entered her eyes.  “I need to talk with Adrien first.”  Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, raising her hand to stop him from continuing.  “I’m not saying no, but I need to talk with Adrien first.”

     Gabriel pursed his lips.  “Very well.”  He stood up straight and clasped his hands behind his back, and then proceeded to bow at the waist at this foe.  “Good day, Ms. Dupain-Cheng.  I’m sure we will be in touch.” 

     He went to turn away, but pivoted back before he turned completely.  Reaching into his inside pocket, Gabriel pulled out a business card, and he grabbed a pen off of the counter in front of him in order to write his phone number on the back.

     “Call me when you make up your mind, Ms. Marinette,” he told her.  “That’s my personal cell number,” he continued with a wink.

     Without looking back, Gabriel turned around and walked out of the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie with a smirk and an gleam in his eyes.

     He didn’t look back to see young Ladybug’s reaction.

     He didn’t have to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally! Some Gabrinette interaction!
> 
> Sorry this took me so long to post. I had most of it done for a while now, but I haven't been able to find the time to finish it and edit it until now.
> 
> So I honestly don't know how long it will be until the next chapter is up. If any of you have read my other work, [A New Day to Conquer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14119752), you might know that I've had plans to work on another Kim Possible fanfic. I have been working on a story immediately following the events of the series finale for MONTHS. I set it aside for a while, thinking that that would help me, and I re-read it the other night and I'm STILL not satisfied with the first chapter, so I don't foresee myself posting that any time in the near future. 
> 
> I might be posting some other stuff (stuff that I have buried away in my files that's mostly finished--or at least chapters that are finished), but I don't really know when (read: if) that's going to happen.
> 
> I'll TRY to work on this fic in the near future, but honestly, I don't think anything will be up until late October at the EARLIEST. I'm a senior in college--I'm writing a senior thesis AND applying to grad school AND I want to take time to enjoy my senior year.
> 
> But I'll try. That's all I can promise.
> 
> Thank you for understanding, guys--it means a lot. :) As always, I appreciate reviews and comments, and feel free to check out my [tumblr](http://www.dragannaheireann.tumblr.com)! Love you guys.
> 
> ~Annika


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